


Dreams are for nighttime

by IronCaptain_78



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:16:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28696074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IronCaptain_78/pseuds/IronCaptain_78
Summary: Soulmates exist, just in dreams. idk how else to explain but enjoy :)
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Kudos: 1





	Dreams are for nighttime

My mother used to tell me stories as a kid - stories of Soulmates, stories of your one equal coming to you and sharing your dreams. I loved the idea, and I used to ask my mum "is daddy your soulmate?". I should have know, of course, that it was a lie when she would smile and tell me he is, a hint of sadness in her face. the stories slowly stopped as I grew up, and soon I was learning about those very stories in school. Learning of how when you turn 16, you will meet your soulmate in a dream, or you will be told of them in the dream if they are not 16 yet. following that, you will share every dream with each other if you are both asleep. As a 7 year old hearing that, naturally I couldn't wait to find my one true match. I told my mum as soon as I got home, her deciding to finally share the story of her true soulmate with me. "He was sweet and gentle and kind." she would tell me, her eyes lighting up with the memories. he died in the war not too soon after meeting my mother. he is still there in her dreams, of course, still sharing the time she spends asleep with her, but thats all he can be now. a dream, a memory.

I asked my father the same question a few years later. he screamed, telling me its none of my business, and I shouldn't go around chasing fairytales. My mother told me later that day that my father had no soulmate, that his dream was empty on his 16th birthday, therefore he doesn't believe it to be true. She sat with me and stroked my hair as I cried, as she always did after my father shouted. I used to get so affected by it, but by the time my 14th birthday swung around, his words wouldn't touch me. of course they'd go in, by that point I was sure soulmates were just a myth, that I will descend into a regular dream on my 16th birthday. 

my 16th flew around, and as much as I denied it, I was nervous to enter my dream. my mother tried to talk to me about it, to calm my nerves - she saw them straight away, a talent of hers - but I jus blocked her out, telling her that I didn't care, that they weren't real anyway. 

oh how wrong was I.

I tried to stay up as long as I could that night, refusing to let my mind sink into sleep, but of course it was to no avail. I quickly fell into a deep sleep, my eyes opening to a blank white room. I look around in confusion, glancing down at my plain white clothes, clothes that I definitely did not own. I look up when I hear soft footsteps approaching, watching as a dark shadow walks through the white mist, their muscular body coming into view.

"wait- Steve Roger?" I ask, confusion seeping into my tone. theres no way that Captain America could be my soulmate - he was 20 something years old when he died, for gods sake. "so you finally turned 16." he greets me, a kind smile on his lips. "okay so I'm really fucking confused right now." I exclaim, crossing my arms sassily. "you're dead." I tell him, watching as he walks towards me. "perhaps. but I am a supersoldier so who knows." he says with a laugh, finally coming to a stop in front of me. "Steve Rogers." he introduces himself, holding a hand out. "Tony Stark." I reply after a second, carefully shaking his surprisingly soft hand. "Howard had a kid? never thought he'd be that type." He says, his brow furrowing. I always admired Captain America, I think he was probably every teen boys gay awakening, and he definitely contributed to mine.

"yeah, he's not too good at it." I respond with a grimace. "oh thats too bad." he mutters, sitting down on a bench that definitely was not there before. "so how does this work?" I ask, my voice noticeably less harsh as I sit down next to the man. "I don't know, to be honest. ever since I was 16 I was hearing your voice somewhere in my dreams, but Bucky's soulmate was actually a friend of ours, he would see her every night and they'd share their dreams, so I guess thats whats going to happen now?" he guesses, gesturing around to the blank room. "well hopefully our dreams won't just be a plain white room." I say with a laugh, easily settling into the rhythm of things with Steve. I feel different around him - almost like how I used to feel around my mother. 

"so whats Howard like nowdays?" he asks after a moment, turning to sit sideways on the bench. "he's absorbed in his work. when he isn't working he's drinking, and he's not exactly the best drunk." I tell him, thinking of the scars I've gotten for asking the wrong questions. "really? I mean that sounds like Howard, but he always used to be quite a pleasant drunk." Steve tells me, his eyebrows crinkling as he shrugs. an annoying sound breaches the dream, attacking my ears. "what the fuck?" I mutter, looking around for the vaguely familiar sound. "I think that may be your alarm. have a good day Tony, I'll see you soon." Steve smiles, him getting dimmer and dimmer as I open my eyes, my room seeming dark compared to the dream. my mum walks in with a hesitant smile as I try to get my bearings, still feeling confused.

"who were they?" she asks as she sits down on the end of my bed, smiling at my expression. "uh- Captain America." I respond, meeting her eyes and bursting out laughing at how ridiculous it is. "typical - he's a dead guy from the 40's." I chuckle, falling back on my bed. 

that day at school, everyone was asking me (jokingly) who my soulmate is. I guess I'm one of the popular kids, being the son of a billionaire and acting like you don't care all the time is apparently all it takes. I just laugh, looking down at my feet while I think of Steve. Does this mean that he's still alive, somewhere trapped in a steel container at the bottom of the ocean? or am I just meant to only see my soulmate in my dreams, like my mum has had to do all these years? I end up spending my whole day pondering this, soulmates being real has changed my whole mindset. suddenly my friends are tedious and boring, school is even more unbearable, knowing all the physics we're learning in class no longer fun. I'm soon climbing back into bed, my skin tingling with excitement. 

Steve stayed with me all the time, always commenting on my life, giving suggestions, comforting me. We grew extremely close, something more than a friendship, almost like we were one person. the time after the car crash was very hard, the confusion and regret I felt was obscene, the anger I felt for my parents crashing over me in big, menacing waves. never once did Steve snap at me about my snarky tone, he just let me get all my energy out, before holding me close and letting me cry into his shirt. 

"Tony. where are we?" Steve asks with an amused tone one day, motioning around the room. we're in my dad's home lab - well I guess its now my lab, Dum-E causing havoc with the blender.

"even in my dreams my baby makes me motor oil smoothies." I mutter, grinning at the robot as I set down the glass of bright green liquid, rubbing its claw. "whoa..." Steve mutters behind me, walking up to the bot. "Steve, meet Dum-E, the first robot I ever built." I say, motioning to the pile of bolts, whirring slightly at the attention. "wait- YOU built him? thats incredible.." he mutters, running his hand over the claw in a similar way to what I did, grinning when he makes a happy sound. "Not really, I was 16 and very drunk. can hardly remember it to be honest." I say with a laugh, watching as Dum-E drives away. 

"so this is your lab?" Steve asks, running his hand over the worksurface. "no, its my dads. I haven't been down here since- well you know.." I say, my voice fading off. I walk over to the computer and feel Steve wrap his arms around my waist from behind, pressing a light kiss to my shoulder as he watched my fingers move over the keypad. He's seen modern tech in my dreams before, yet it doesn't fail to amaze him.

"aha. here we are!" I mumble, grinning as I open one of my dad's files. "Captain America's file." I read, opening the first design document. in it sits the specs for his shield and his suit, including multiple photos of Steve with hardly any clothes on. "wow okay." I mutter, scrolling past the photos as I feel Steve heat up behind me. I grin at his blush, laughing slightly. I'm used to it by now, he blushes at basically everything. 

"oh okay I'm waking up." I tell Steve, the familiar feeling cluing me in. "okay, have a good day Tony, say hi to Jarvis for me." he says, pulling me in for a quick hug. 

the day I finally tell my aunt Peggy about Steve, was a very strange day. I was 21 and Peggy was treating me to a fancy meal and a bottle of wine.

"okay, so theres something I need to talk to you about." I tell her, smiling. "go for it, hun." she replies, looking up. we walk along the sea front, the sun falling behind the water. I don't know why I never mentioned to either of them that I know the other, it just didn't ever seem right for some reason. "I know Steve Rogers." I tell her quietly, looking up to watch her reaction. She's married now, to a man who is her soulmate, but she always tells me that she'll never get over Steve. 

"how?" She asks after a second, looking at me with a surprised expression. I break out into a grin, unable to stop the laugh falling from my lips. "because I'm his soulmate apparently." I tell her, still laughing and shaking my head slightly. "Anthony Edward Stark, you're telling me you have known Steve for 7 years and decided not to mention it?" She shouts, causing me to grin at her, knowing she isn't really angry. "if it makes you feel better, I haven't told him either." I tell her, raising an eyebrow slightly. "gah, you annoyance. although that is ironic, a man from the 40's is the soulmate of the upcoming biggest name is tech." She laughs, wrapping her arm around my waist. I throw mine over her shoulder, holding her close. we end up walking around for an hour, sharing stories of Steve, laughing, telling each other secrets about him that we can use against him.

"I'm sorry he isn't alive, hun." she says quietly when we finally sit down on a bench. "ah, its okay. its enough to have him in my head, he's been a big part of who I am." I tell her quietly, leaning against her side. "me too." she says with a smile, both of us watching the now black ocean in silence. 


End file.
